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Senate committee backs pilot program using speed cameras in highway work zones
Summary
A Senate committee voted to give SB 341 a favorable report after hearing from contractors and safety advocates; the bill would authorize a pilot program placing automated speed-enforcement cameras in a single construction work zone, with a 10 mph buffer and a sunset on June 1, 2028, and an appeals process administrated by the agency named in the record as "Aaliyah."
A Senate committee on Transportation and Energy voted to report SB 341 favorably after testimony that recent crashes in construction work zones have injured and killed road workers.
The bill sponsor told the committee SB 341 would establish a limited pilot to install automated traffic-enforcement cameras at one work-zone project to collect data on whether enforcement reduces speeding and improves worker safety. The pilot would include a 10-mile-per-hour buffer (motorists would not be cited for speeds within 10 mph of the posted limit) and would expire on June 1, 2028, to permit a post‑pilot evaluation.
Why it matters: Committee members and contractors described recent crashes involving work crews and said a data-driven test of automated enforcement could reduce dangerous speeding where crews are present. Skip Hoe, executive director of the Road Builder Association, introduced contractors and recounted recent incidents, including a crew hit by a truck that sent five workers to the hospital and a separate crash in which a worker at a site near Publix was struck; Hoe said those experiences motivate industry support for additional enforcement tools.
The bill sponsor said appeals and administration of violations would be implemented by the agency referred to in the hearing record as "Aaliyah," which the sponsor said already manages similar mandatory-insurance appeals procedures. Tony Harris of ALDOT (Alabama Department of Transportation) told the committee that ALDOT would absorb the pilot's upfront costs from an identified interstate project and that any later revenues would return to the same fund used for safety operations. Harris said the department would identify a single interstate project for the pilot and cover initial costs as part of that project's budget.
Opponents and supporters: Committee members expressed support for additional worker protections while asking about budget impacts. One senator recalled using a municipal school-zone camera appeals process as an example where vehicle owners successfully contested a notice when the driver was not the registered owner; that experience was cited to illustrate how an administrative appeals process might work.
Procedure and outcome: After debate and an amendment that moved appeals administration into agency rulemaking rather than the district attorneys' offices, the committee adopted the amendment and voted to give SB 341 a favorable report as amended. The transcript records individual senators responding at roll call; the report passed, but numeric vote tallies were not specified in the hearing record.
Next steps: The committee reported SB 341 favorably; additional committee or floor scheduling was not detailed in the transcript.
